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Vanitas (Chapter)
Vanitas is the first chapter of Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas. Synopsis A young Noé is shown with The Teacher, who tells him that he mustn't ever let his true name be stolen by anyone, as it forms the constitutive equation of his existence. In other words, his true name is his very life. A bulletin is broadcast, detailing how Vampires have appeared in Paris and are draining their victims of all their blood - raising the question of whether or not the Vampires are out for revenge against the humans. Thus far nine victims have been found with bite marks on their neck and rumors begin to spread that The Chasseur are only now moving in on the churches. As a crowd of people voice their fear about the current situation with the Vampires, the voice of a woman cuts through - saying that she's very cold. Aboard the airship, La Baleine, citizens continue to clamor about the threat of the Vampires. One woman asks if her notion that the Vampires were annihilated long ago when they lost the war against the humans. Another asks if some then survived somehow, admitting that the notion frightens her. Even so, a man insists that Vampires are nothing more than a fairy-tale, while another claims that his great-grandfather had allegedly seen one once. The first man argues that his companion is just spouting another one of his horror stories, prompting the second man to suggest that even if that were the case, they'll have nothing to worry about if the rumors about The Chasseur moving in on the churches is in fact true. As Noé listens to the gossip from afar, he notices a young woman wrapped in a shawl waver, as she appears to be unwell. As she falls, Noé rushes to her side and catches her in his arms, asking her if she's alright. Noé brings the woman to a café, where she thanks him for his kindness as they enjoy some tea together, though Noé tells her not to worry about it, and asks if she's certain she is all right with him not bringing her to the doctor's office. The woman however claims that she should be fine with a little rest. Moving in frighteningly closer to the woman, Noé examines her and objects that she has a poor complexion, which worries him. The woman just shrugs it off and states that it's just her anemia, asking that Noé not worry about it, while promising that she'd go see a doctor later. Upon noticing Noé's confusion, the woman sips her tea and admits that she has no intention of seeing anyone other than her doctor for a variety of reasons - thanking Noé again for all his help. The woman then notices something out of the corner of her eye. Just then, Murr - Noé's cat - jumps out from underneath the table toward the woman - prompting Noé's order for Murr to behave. As the woman sits and pets Murr, she gushes about how cute and warm he is. Turning back to Noé, the woman introduces herself as Amelia, and asking Noé's name in return. Noé, misinterpreting Amelia, assumes she means the cat - and so he introduces Amelia to Murr - however before Amelia can object, the captain of La Baleine announces that they'd be arriving in Paris in about an hour. Hearing this, Noé rushes to the window to look for Paris as they grow nearer and nearer to the city. Growing anxious when he's unable to see it, Noé asks Amelia where Paris is. When people begin to notice Noé's odd sense of excitement as he rushes around La Baleine, Amelia subtly tells Noé that she doesn't think that they can see Paris yet from the airship, which disappoints Noé. Despite this, Noé voices how amazing he thinks it is that one could reach Paris in the blink of an eye aboard an airship like La Baleine. As Noé giggles with excitement, Amelia asks if this is the first time that Noé has ever rode on a dirigible, prompting Noé to ask what gave it away. Noé explains that he's always been confined within the forests of Averoigne, so this is his first time seeing and riding in such a large airship. Amelia, having not heard of Averoigne, assumes that it must be an incredible rural area - though Noé carries on about his astonishment over how something so heavy can float through the sky and how he's heard that Paris rivals London in terms of steam mechanisms; hence his looking forward to arriving in Paris. Curious, Amelia asks if Noé is going to Paris to do some sight-seeing. Unexpectedly, Noé grows more serious and proclaims that his purpose in Paris is to find something calls The Book of Vanitas. Noting the shock on Amelia's face, Noé asks if she's heard of it, explaining that it's the name of a cursed book that introduces the fairy-tale about the Vampire of the Blue Moon. Noé then explains that once upon a time there was a shunned Vampire named Vanitas. While most Vampires are born on the night of the Crimson Moon, for some unknown reason Vanitas was born under a sign of Ill Omen, the Blue Moon. As a result, everyone feared Vanitas and drove him out of their village. Alone, scared and shivering in the dark and snow, Vanitas continued to wander - swearing that he would exact his revenge on the Vampires who were born under the Blood Moon. Vanitas created a mechanized grimoire fastened with silver chains and black pages bound by blue leather, capable of interfering with the true names of Vampires. Calling all those who’d shunned him fools - Vanitas claimed that when The Book of Vanitas was opened, a curse surpassing even death would befall his betrayers. The one who wields The Book of Vanitas will possess the same blue light in their eyes as Vanitas, and before long the existence of the Blood Moon Vampires would meet its end. Out on the roof of La Baleine – Dante asks if Vanitas is really going in, which Vanitas confirms – as they know that the target is inside and he’s not about to let it get away. As the clock tolls, Noé voices his surprise that it’s already so late. Picking up Murr – who gnaws on Noé’s sleeve – Noé states that they’re going to have to get ready to leave La Baleine soon enough, and offers to walk Amelia back to her room. Amelia agrees passively, though she’s notably distracted as she can only focus on how cold she feels. While Noé walks Amelia back to her room, Amelia asks if Noé truly believes that The Book of Vanitas exists. Noé says that he’s unsure, but he’d recently received a letter that detailed The Book of Vanitas’ presence in Paris from The Teacher. Thus, whether or not The Book of Vanitas is real, Noé must journey to Paris to verify it. Suddenly, Amelia collapses once again, but as Noé attempts to help her, Amelia tells him not to touch her – her reaction causing a light nearby to shatter behind Noé. Murr hisses at Amelia as she rises, with Noe finally realizing that Amelia is a Vampire as her eyes turn red and she bears her fangs. With that, Vanitas crashes through a nearby window – glad to have finally found Amelia. As Vanitas lands in front of them, Noé cradles Amelia in his arms. Intrigued, Vanitas claims that he’d thought it’d be easy to catch her, but asks what Noé’s part in this is. Turning the question around, Noé adds that the same can be said for Vanitas – who reveals that he’d only come for Amelia and that it’d be within Noé’s best interest to just put her down, suggesting that he’ll get hurt if he doesn’t. However, Noé refuses, only to have Vanitas immediately retaliate with his knife.Though Noé is able to dodge enough of Vanitas’ attack, he falters soon enough, as Vanitas notes that he can’t move effectively while carrying Amelia. Vanitas then clicks a button on his knife, transforming it into a whip. As Vanitas continues to pursue Noé and Amelia, Dante comes in through the broken window and questions what’s going on with Vanitas’ weapon. Not long after, Vanitas manages to knock Noé off balance as he struggles to deal with Amelia, sending Amelia flying into the air. While Vanitas and his Partner believe that they’d won, Amelia stops mid-air and floats above them – confusing Vanitas long enough for Noé to retaliate and throw Vanitas into a nearby wall before catching Amelia. While Noé makes off with Amelia, Dante rushes to Vanitas’ side, asking if he’s still alive. Standing, Vanitas laughs at his own carelessness – as he should’ve known that Noé was also a Vampire by his red eyes. Vanitas asks Dante to hurry, stating that based on what they’d just seen, they don’t have much time. As Noé carries a barely conscious Amelia, Amelia voices repeatedly how cold she is. Within her mind, Amelia sits along in a warm field with flower petals floating all around her. Amelia then notices someone out of the corner of her eye – a black figure identifying itself as "Charlatan, who gushes about how warm it is there, how pretty Amelia’s flowers are and how she likes it there – asking that Amelia give that place and her name to him. As the black figure puts her hands on Amelia – she’s consumed by the darkness flowing out from it. As Amelia screams, Noé delivers her to one of the officers aboard La Baleine and requests that she be taken to a doctor immediately. The officer asks what Noé intends on doing now – prompting Noé to explain that he intends on finding the one who attacked Amelia and having him explain what exactly is going on. Hearing this, Amelia springs forward and wraps her arms around Noé, telling him not to go. Suddenly, Amelia starts panting – while she thinks of how it’s so cold that she could die, which is why she desires something warm. Amelia then sinks her teeth into Noé’s neck, consuming his blood – which frightens the passengers observing the situation. As Noé drops to his knees he thinks of how much his strength is fading and forces Amelia off of him. Amelia remains frozen in the air, dripping black tears from her eyes and chest as she grows more and more thirsty for blood. Amelia realizes that the blood made her feel warm again, and so she insists that Noé give her more of his blood, summoning shadowed thorns from the black tears pooling on the floor. Amelia sends the shadowed thorns after the human spectators and lunges at one of her victims – only to be stopped by Noé – who asks that she stop what she’s doing, as Vampires are not allowed to attack humans and if she continued to do so she’d be disposed of. It is at this moment, with Amelia in his grip, that Noé realizes that he can’t move his body properly and that it was likely due to poison from Amelia’s bite. Just as Amelia is about to kill Noé, Vanitas intervenes – casting her away and standing in front of Noé to keep him protected – reminding Noé that he’d warned him about getting hurt. Vanitas announces that, just as he’d thought, Amelia’s symptoms had started to show – but Dante states, as he’s helping the civilians, that Vanitas had already known that. Admitting this, Vanitas points out that Amelia had been so cold that she could hardly stand, black tears fell from her eyes and chest and with the shadowed thorns it meant that Amelia’s ill omen name was Eglantine. Confused, a shaky Noé questions what Vanitas means by an “ill omen name”, with Vanitas explaining that because of her disease Amelia received an ill omen name, which acts as the shadow of her distorted true name. It had been because of this distortion of her true name that Amelia lost her very self, and thus was succumbed to her thirst for blood more easily. Dante urges him to just carry on with curing Amelia already – for which Vanitas calls him an impatient baldy; much to his chagrin, as he’s not bald. Concerned, Noé asks if Vanitas intends to kill Amelia, and whether or not he’s a Chasseur from the church or one of The Bourreau sent to dispose of her. This makes Vanitas laugh, denying that he is either, Vanitas takes out The Book of Vanitas and claims that he is a doctor and that Vampires are his specialty; surprising Noé. Vanitas proceeds to open The Book of Vanitas, which shines forth a bright light as Vanitas suggests that they return Amelia’s true name to her. As Amelia is engulfed in the light her shadowed thorns disintegrate, and the light touches her soul – where she is shown to be encased in a forest of thorns. Recognizing the warmth as spring sunlight, Amelia follows it to the edge of the thorns, where Vanitas corrects her by saying that the warmth was hers and hers alone, reaching through the darkness and pulling Amelia back into the warm field where flowers dance through the air. Outside her consciousness, Vanitas speaks Amelia’s true name: Florifel, she who guides spring – believing it to be very fitting for Amelia. Amelia, shown to have regained complete control of herself is crying as she’s shocked to hear her true name, subsequently thanking Vanitas for returning it to her. Amelia then slumps in Vanitas’ arms – prompting Dante to ask if she’d died – but Vanitas assures both Dante and Noé that Amelia is simply unconscious. Suddenly, two officers make their presences known as they approach from behind and aim their guns at Vanitas and Dante. Looking around, they see the damage Amelia had done and question what had happened there and ask if they aren’t the two trespassers that had crashed through the observation room. Vanitas admits this much and stands, advising the officers that they don’t want to have anything to do with them, or else they are going to get hurt. Unexpectedly, a piece of debris falls from the ceiling and hits Vanitas on the head – catching him off balance so that he falls back and out of La Baleine through a hole in the wall. Noé rushes to catch Vanitas, grabbing his ankle as the two of them plummet into the streets of Paris. Looking to the moon, Noé sees that it’s a full Blue Moon, reminding him of when he was young. Noé sits with his teacher, who asks if he’s right to assume that Noé doesn’t fear the Blue Moon despite the fact that its light is said to be a symbol of ill omen and steals a Vampire’s powers. However, as Noé reads the legend of Vanitas of the Blue Moon, he tells his teacher that his eyes can see something lovely in the Blue Moon. Skipping forward, Noé remembers when he received the letter from his teacher, which explained that he wanted Noé to fly to Paris immediately, as there’d been rumors that The Book of Vanitas had been found there. Noé’s teacher then ordered him to go and retrieve The Book of Vanitas without fail so that he could discern the true nature of The Book of Vanitas. Noé sits in the rubble within the church that he and Vanitas fell into as he remembers his past, while Vanitas laughs as he remains upside down with his face in the pews – questioning how they survived the fall and laughing at their pathetic landing attempt. Noé then lifts Vanitas out of the pews and asks what he did to Amelia on La Baleine. As Vanitas gets on his feet, he explains that it was simply an inverse operation; having used the power of The Book of Vanitas to make contact with her true name and remove the unnecessary part. Clenching his fists – Noé asks how Vanitas can take it all so lightly when what he’d done was so amazing, asking if he’s right to assume that The Book of Vanitas isn’t a cursed grimoire like the legend says. Laughing, Vanitas admits that it’s a first to see someone so starry-eyed over The Book of Vanitas – prompting Noé to ask if what he’d said was really so funny. Vanitas says that he finds Noé interesting, asking Noé to introduce himself. After Noé does so, Vanitas remarks that his name means child of the ark and that it’s a nice name. Vanitas introduces himself to Noé, elaborating that while he’d inherited The Book of Vanitas and his name from the Vampire of the Blue Moon, he’s simply a human. Continuing, Vanitas asks Noé to lend him his strength, as Noé is strong, sturdy and a substantial fighter – there’s not a doubt in his mind that Noé would make a great shield. Confused, Noé immediately turns Vanitas down – which doesn’t come as a shock to Vanitas at all. Vanitas asks if Noé had noticed earlier that there’s a surge in situations where a Vampire’s true name is afflicted by a disease and the Vampire goes out of control. If this continues to happen without searching for any cause to it, then eventually Vampires would be wiped out completely - and he intends on preventing that from happening, despite their intention he’ll save them all. Noé’s narrative commences, stating that this is where it all started. At the same time, a young woman with long black hair is shown to be a prisoner, while Jeanne and Luca arrive in Paris. This is where Noé met Vanitas and the two of them went on a journey together where they gain and lose so much. Then, Noé remembers Vanitas speaking to him; saying that he won’t die, even if he were to henceforth completely disappear. Continuing his narrative, Noé explains that this will be a story where they’ll reach the end of the road…when I kill him with my own hands.” Characters *Noé *Thomas Berneux* *Amelia *Vanitas of the Blue Moon* *Vanitas *Dante *Naenia *Dominique de Sade *Jeanne *Luca }} Terms Gallery 1_-_Amelia_Attacks.jpg|Amelia sends out her shadowed thorns as the Malnomen Eglantine 1_-_Eglantine.jpg|Eglantine, The Prison of Briars Trivia * Secondary Title: In the Event of Rusty Hopes. Navigation Category:The Case Study of Vanitas Category:Manga